What a great band you have on the late show. They smoothly backed up Bela Fleck like they have been playing together for years. I am sorry that I don't get to hear this part of the show until now. Looking forward to hearing it on youtube from now on. Thanks for this opportunity to hear what we have been missing all this time, cheers.
I have loved this song for decades and still turn it all the way up when it comes through my Playlist. To me, it perfectly defines wide open spaces. And the bass solo...wow. Wooten should be proud, she's an honorary Flecktone.
Bela Fleck is an icon! Thabks for bringing him to the show. I dont get to see him in my part of the world. He is such a joy to listen to. And the trumpetist and base player were also fantastic...well the whole band really, what a fun moment to witness and enjoy. Thanks so much! Maybe one day you can interview Bela, when he launches his next record perhaps?
First heard Bella Fleck as a freshman in High school when my Marching Band performed his music. And fell in love with his work. Love seeing him now twenty years later on The Late Show with amazing musicians and such a huge audience. Makes my geeky heart happy!!
OMG, this was one of the best performances! The bass - just awesome. Been a fan of Bela Fleck for a long time. Maybe you should do this colab more often!
Bela was just in Royal Oak, MI, about 3 weeks ago with his outstanding band. I hadn't seen him perform in 20 years, so I treated myself & also introduced my boyfriend to his music via the show. My BF was blown away by his talent (of course!) Bela happened to mention from the stage that he was heading to Carnegie Hall soon...and as luck would have it, my BF & I were able to make that show 10 days later! Bela played "Big Country" at both shows, and this performance on The Late Show was as dynamic as the other performances with the band members he's been touring with! So fun! Thanks, Stephen, for appreciating great musical talent! ❤❤❤❤ = Stephen AND Bela!
Tears of Joy! We finally heard Endea' Owens' Beautiful, Double Bass... Birdland Solid, Precision of Tuck... with Bela, no less! ALL YOUR BASS ARE BELONG TO US! Please, repeat history and return to the Ed Sullivan roof top Thank You, RESPECT!
Decades of practice on display by all. Very nice rendition. BF is fantastic. I like his 12 days of Christmas & each day is a different time signature from 1-12. 👍
Louis Cato & The Late Show Band are always impressive, but this! This was a whole new level of dynamic performances. It was so good to see Bela Fleck, who's always a joy to behold.
love bela fleck - saw him in philly by the delaware on his 30th birthday - sheer serendipity - blew me away! the whole band! Bela Fleck and Victor wooten especially. Enjoyed the creativity of tonight show band - lady gave wooten a run for his money on the upright!
What a Thrill! Takes me WAYY back to meeting him in Denmark! Congrats to 1 & All for a Masterful Performance! You are now ALL unofficial Fleck-tones!!!! 🎉👏🏼👍🏼❤️
Every time I see and hear a banjo I always think that same huge influence over my youth in the 70's who was always playing the banjo extraordinarily well, although he is known as a comedian, Steve Martin. My 6th grade teacher, Ms. Studer, would let me recite Martin daily in her class, whatever part of his LP "A Wild and Crazy Guy" (that I still play to this day) was relative to what was happening at the time. She loved Martin too, so anytime I got the urge she would stop teaching and let me rip for 10 minutes if I wanted. It was by a million miles, my favorite year of school, and now, Ms. Studer, who I heard returned to Texas, should just be in her late 60s, and I hope doing Amazing! Just like she was to all of US in middle GA back in the late 70s. She was by far, the best teacher I ever had.
I had the opportunity to see Bela Fleck perform at Gild Hall in Arden, Delaware before he got huge. Fantastic concert gild there. Wish he would come back. Also saw Natalie McMaster before she was more known.
Yesssss please !! I’d take more of the band any day especially when it showcases some of the great guest musicians too 😊 and I grew up traveling with a bunch of bluegrass bands and even a couple of brothers that made and sold banjos .. this guy was top notch and this was wonderful 🎵🎶💚💛🤎🤍🖤 thank you thank you thank you for listening to all the pleas for more of the band , they really are awesome 💜
Dude, thank you for these! This guy is legend. No one even knows about him. Some of the best musicians who have ever played, have played with Bela Fleck. The Flecktones, I mean... you can stop at Victor Wooten and it's impressive enough.
Was disappointed to find that this wasn't going to be a cover of "In A Big Country" by "Big Country". Still, Bela is always fantastic, and Endea Owens absolutely smaaaaashed that upright solo.
My grandma took me to see Bela flek and Edgar Meyer when I was in high school She was the one who gave me Bela flek and the flektones CD when I was a kid She is the best Bela is a close second
That bass solo!
Her face told me she was telling a story I was not sophisticated enough to understand.
Nothing like an upright bass.
Serious right there.
She slaps!
@pluribus_unum Thank you for that.
The world is better with Bela Fleck!
Sometimes I forget just how delightful he and his music are.
The live version of "Flight of the cosmic hippo", where the audience is asked to play the sounds of the hippo at take-off is simply wonderful.
that bass solo 🏆
Fretless! Respect. And the stank-face! Fabulous...
Heard Bèla in concert many years ago...still great, but have to say the band makes the experience astounding.
What a great band you have on the late show.
They smoothly backed up Bela Fleck like they have been playing together for years.
I am sorry that I don't get to hear this part of the show until now.
Looking forward to hearing it on youtube from now on. Thanks for this opportunity to hear what we have been missing all this time, cheers.
Brilliant! They are brilliant.
Are they going to show more of the band on TH-cam? I really hope so. This was fantastic.
Is he amazing or what? He can sit in with anyone. Like, it's crazy.
All of the commercial break music should be available to fans. This is only a tease ... thanks just the same !!!🎶💖
Everybody’s day is smiling. You can’t not smile when there is a good banjo involved.....
I have loved this song for decades and still turn it all the way up when it comes through my Playlist. To me, it perfectly defines wide open spaces. And the bass solo...wow. Wooten should be proud, she's an honorary Flecktone.
If she had finished it with a blackflip, the internet would melt down.
This is extraordinary. They had to know they were feeling it that night. Damn.
Bela Fleck is an icon! Thabks for bringing him to the show. I dont get to see him in my part of the world. He is such a joy to listen to. And the trumpetist and base player were also fantastic...well the whole band really, what a fun moment to witness and enjoy. Thanks so much! Maybe one day you can interview Bela, when he launches his next record perhaps?
I like Béla Fleck and I like Stephen Colbert. This is such a win!
There’s no substitute for Victor Wooten on bass, but that upright solo sure was cool.
First heard Bella Fleck as a freshman in High school when my
Marching Band performed his music. And fell in love with his work. Love seeing him now twenty years later on The Late Show with amazing musicians and such a huge audience. Makes my geeky heart happy!!
People forget (or never knew) that Bela and his Flecktones were giants of innovation in the 90's. Been a fan since his NewGrass days in 1977.
Oh man, why haven't more of these been posted!? This needs to be a thing every time there's a musical guest joining the band for the evening/week.
Bela is masterful
Mix Bluegrass, Rock, Rythm&Blues and Jazz, and the result is ... AMAZING. Please record more songs in exactly this formation.
💯💯💯
Big Country is such an awesome piece, as long as you have a good enough banjo player you can play this piece with any kind of ensemble
Best 4 minutes of my day, so far.
That was some kind of magic out of nowhere lifting spirits high.
So many times I wanted to watch the commercial break music on the legacy of late night shows over the past decades.
Wouldn’t that make a great second channel!? ❤
Especially when you hear the opening notes of a familiar song...
Belas a good dude. Had 20 minutes with him back stage with him. Very humble.... all the best seem to be.
OMG, this was one of the best performances! The bass - just awesome. Been a fan of Bela Fleck for a long time. Maybe you should do this colab more often!
That lady SLAPS AWESOME!!
Bela was just in Royal Oak, MI, about 3 weeks ago with his outstanding band. I hadn't seen him perform in 20 years, so I treated myself & also introduced my boyfriend to his music via the show. My BF was blown away by his talent (of course!) Bela happened to mention from the stage that he was heading to Carnegie Hall soon...and as luck would have it, my BF & I were able to make that show 10 days later! Bela played "Big Country" at both shows, and this performance on The Late Show was as dynamic as the other performances with the band members he's been touring with! So fun! Thanks, Stephen, for appreciating great musical talent! ❤❤❤❤ = Stephen AND Bela!
Tears of Joy! We finally heard Endea' Owens' Beautiful, Double Bass... Birdland Solid, Precision of Tuck... with Bela, no less! ALL YOUR BASS ARE BELONG TO US! Please, repeat history and return to the Ed Sullivan roof top Thank You, RESPECT!
Bring back music in all schools
This makes me smile. Like big sh!t eating grin smile. Thanks all!
This strangely brought tears to my eyes.
Decades of practice on display by all. Very nice rendition. BF is fantastic. I like his 12 days of Christmas & each day is a different time signature from 1-12. 👍
I saw Bela probably 20 times in various events for 25 years. He was and is always special.
Louis Cato & The Late Show Band are always impressive, but this! This was a whole new level of dynamic performances. It was so good to see Bela Fleck, who's always a joy to behold.
love bela fleck - saw him in philly by the delaware on his 30th birthday - sheer serendipity - blew me away! the whole band! Bela Fleck and Victor wooten especially. Enjoyed the creativity of tonight show band - lady gave wooten a run for his money on the upright!
Bela Fleck is so talented! It’s great to be able to see this bit on TH-cam 😊
i was lucky enough to see Bela and the Wooten brothers, twice. i got to meet all three. not to be forgotten.
Totally enoughed the "Breakdown". 😁💝🎉
Soaring! Rising! Gliding! Diving! Magnificent musicians!!! Artists! Thank you. A privilege. Best wishes. 🤸🏾♂️🫶🏻🖖🏼
Thanks for televising this great ensemble with Bela Fleck! Great happy energy, so needed. Fabulous bass solo!
Thank you for posting this! What a joy!
This may be the single best version of that song I’ve ever heard so smooth
What a Thrill! Takes me WAYY back to meeting him in Denmark! Congrats to 1 & All for a Masterful Performance! You are now ALL unofficial Fleck-tones!!!! 🎉👏🏼👍🏼❤️
Fantabulous! He's one of the most talented! And that bass solo - wow! More, please!
This isn’t just music. This is America 🇺🇸
Absolutely breathtaking
HELL YES
People having fun at their job, wish we all had as much fun !
Duet with Louis and Bela was dynamite🔥! 👏👏👏
Damn, this was good! I've been a Bela Fleck fan since his first album came out when I was in college (1979!).
First saw/heard Bela with New Grass Revival - Knoxville, 1982 !! 🎶
That was wonderful! Give us more commercial breakdowns. Loved it!
Love me some Bela Fleck and love the Late Show Band!
That was the greatest!!!!
one of his best compositions and a fabulous rendition of it!
Every time I see and hear a banjo I always think that same huge influence over my youth in the 70's who was always playing the banjo extraordinarily well, although he is known as a comedian,
Steve Martin. My 6th grade teacher, Ms. Studer, would let me recite Martin daily in her class, whatever part of his LP "A Wild and Crazy Guy" (that I still play to this day) was relative to what was happening at the time. She loved Martin too, so anytime I got the urge she would stop teaching and let me rip for 10 minutes if I wanted. It was by a million miles, my favorite year of school, and now, Ms. Studer, who I heard returned to Texas, should just be in her late 60s, and I hope doing Amazing! Just like she was to all of US in middle GA back in the late 70s. She was by far, the best teacher I ever had.
I had the opportunity to see Bela Fleck perform at Gild Hall in Arden, Delaware before he got huge. Fantastic concert gild there. Wish he would come back. Also saw Natalie McMaster before she was more known.
Bela has always been one of my all time favorite musicians!!
Love the band they appreciate good music from any where. What great music!
Beautiful! 'Took me right back to Telluride!
Yesssss please !! I’d take more of the band any day especially when it showcases some of the great guest musicians too 😊 and I grew up traveling with a bunch of bluegrass bands and even a couple of brothers that made and sold banjos .. this guy was top notch and this was wonderful 🎵🎶💚💛🤎🤍🖤 thank you thank you thank you for listening to all the pleas for more of the band , they really are awesome 💜
EPIC!!! That was simply EPIC!!!
Most Enjoyable..
Brilliant!!!!
These moments with the band are so precious. Thanks for sharing this.
Beautiful. Pure joy of music
This is delightful! Love it!
Fantastic. Love Bela Fleck!
The man is already a legend with more Grammys in more different categories than anyone on the planet 👌🏼
Oh, man, this takes me back to Strength in Numbers! I absolutely love to watch the body language of stand up bass players! Dayum!
That was way cool!!!✌️😊👍
What a band….!!!!!!!
Unbelievable bass solo …
Thank you
✌️😎🎸…….
First time seeing this side of the show. DAMNNNNN! That bass solo!!! 🔥✨
PLEASE! More, More, More! I want to see every show's commercial breakdown because the band is so fantastic with or without musical guests.
breathtaking!!!!
What a beautiful arrangement one of my favorite songs. So much energy and joy in that whole room.
Amazing! This is the sound of JOY!❤
WOW!!!! Amazing from start to finish!!
Thank y'all. More breakdowns, please.
A few seconds in and you got me crying 😭 years of joy 😂. You're the best band ever. I love love love you. Look forward to more. SO GOOD
The best ever!!!!!!!!!
Had to watch it twice … so fabulous💚
goosebumps!
Food stomping, whooping and hollering, tears and goosebumps! That was amazing.
PLEASE do more of This!😀
I love this song. Thank you!
Bela is THE BEST
Amazing! Bravissimo!!!
I love these and the chance to hear the band members solo!
William Wyler and Gregory Peck would be so proud. Well done Bela. ❤
these are soooo good. thank you so much for sharing them.
This was just absolutely brilliant all around thank you!
This band never fails to be joyous! I am uplifted!
Dude, thank you for these! This guy is legend. No one even knows about him. Some of the best musicians who have ever played, have played with Bela Fleck. The Flecktones, I mean... you can stop at Victor Wooten and it's impressive enough.
Just played in Springfield Ohio last week. Nice as hell
Was disappointed to find that this wasn't going to be a cover of "In A Big Country" by "Big Country". Still, Bela is always fantastic, and Endea Owens absolutely smaaaaashed that upright solo.
DUDE ME TOO! I was getting hyped to hear banjo play the lyrical melody. "In a big country..." stuck in your head for days LOL
this is also what led me to listen. very glad I did as it was awesome but still would love a cover of Big Country's Big Country.
WoW. Love Bela, Love you guys, this was amazing! Thank you! Do this with Billy Strings and his dad too please?!?
He's such an eloquent, sweet guy besides incredible musician. I just watched his interview with Rick Beato here on TH-cam, which I highly recommend.
Love banjo playing
My grandma took me to see Bela flek and Edgar Meyer when I was in high school
She was the one who gave me Bela flek and the flektones CD when I was a kid
She is the best
Bela is a close second
Love it! ❤️
All so goooooood
Solid!
Fantastic‼️🙌🙌🙌
Sublime !
Thanx for sharing this music!!